Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Nancy Bostain

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between cyberloafing in employees working remotely prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and those working remotely due to the pandemic and if technostress was a moderator. Bandura’s social learning theory was the basis for this study. One concept of social learning theory, neutralization, may clarify why technostress may lead to cyberloafing. Blanchard and Henle defined cyberloafing as the personal use of email and the internet while working. Anandarajan et al. described the varying levels of cyberloafing- those considered recreational and those considered deviant. This study focused on the lower tier of cyberloafing behavior, such as checking personal email at work, browsing social media, and personal cell phone use. This study asked if employees working remotely due to the pandemic are engaging in cyberloafing more than employees working remotely prior to the pandemic, using a quantitative survey design. The survey was conducted online using Amazon Mechanical Turks, with 280 participants who did work remotely prior to the pandemic, and 289 participants that did not.Data were analyzed using a t-test to compare cyberloafing in both groups and the Hayes process to measure if technostress has a moderating effect. When looking at the differences in cyberloafing in remote employees, this study also looked at technostress as a moderator. The data analysis found no significant difference between employees working remotely due to the pandemic and those working remotely prior to the pandemic. Additional knowledge on the remote employees’ experience can help inspire positive social change to support this new generation of employees working from home.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

 
COinS